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Painted in 1540 by Hans Holbein the Younger, this iconic portrait shows Henry VIII at the height of his power. The king’s imposing stance and lavish dress project authority and magnificence, reflecting a reign that transformed England’s religion, politics, and monarchy.

Henry VIII wanted a giant Tudor tomb. So why didn’t he get it?

Ghosts, gods & sea monsters: a supernatural history of the Atlantic.

An illustration of a monk writing on a large piece of parchment, with colourful and dramatic scenes spilling out of the pen

The Book of Kells: "a masterpiece of medieval calligraphy and painting".

Everything you think you know about Vikings is WRONG.

Emperor Moctezuma II, ruler of the Aztec Empire at the height of its power. His reign oversaw a flourishing capital at Tenochtitlan and an expansive tribute system, but it ended abruptly with the arrival of Spanish conquistadors in 1519.

Did Aztec civilisation really ‘collapse’? The reality isn’t as simple as you might think

AI: good or bad for history? Our experts weigh in.

The summer that changed everything for the Kennedys.

Episode 1Why the Ancient Egyptians WEREN'T ancient.

This Roman mosaic depicts Orestes and Iphigenia, with Iphigenia holding a small statue of Artemis — imagery drawn from Greek myth and popular across the Roman world. Mosaics like this often decorated the floors of bath complexes and latrines, where vibrant storytelling scenes enlivened communal spaces.

Ancient Roman culture would be baffling to modern eyes – and their toilet habits prove it

News stories from the HistoryExtra podcast.

General History

Beyond the Podcast

Margaret Beaufort: life of the week.

Idi Amin's willing helpers.

A painting of a man with a snake like body, all piled on top of each other, with a sad face and long black hair, plus red wings

The US 'voodoo' scare: why 19th-century racists spread fake news about Haiti.

“You can’t kill and maim with impunity”: the powerful legacy of Nuremberg.

This composite image brings together Edmond Halley, the comet that bears his name, and the Bayeux Tapestry’s famous depiction of its 1066 appearance. Halley’s calculations in the 18th century revealed the comet’s regular return, transforming a phenomenon once read as an omen of catastrophe — as it was before the Norman Conquest — into a predictable event governed by celestial mechanics.

Has history’s most famous comet been misnamed for centuries? “The answer is clear,” say historians

A large illustration of Henry VIII with several images imprinted on him

Porpoise for breakfast and late night sex visits: Henry VIII's life in a day.

A British government poster highlighting the dangers of Aids, 1987

Aids: the epidemic that changed Britain.

A poster showing a black and white photo of Hitler with a young blond boy in the foreground

Hitler's war on words: how the Nazis used art to bolster their murderous regime.

General History

Quiz of the weekWhich famous novelist disappeared on 3 December 1926?

Assassins vs Templars.

This 1835 painting by Daniel Maclise imagines the first meeting between Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn. Their relationship would set in motion a political and religious upheaval — leading to England’s break with Rome and Anne’s eventual rise and tragic fall as queen.

Want to live like a Tudor? Historian Ruth Goodman did, and here are five crucial lessons she learned

Christmas history myths DEBUNKED | The origins you never knew.

Hernán Cortes (Adam Bond) and Malintzin (Andressa Cardoso Fernandes) in 'Civilisations: Rise and Fall'.

History TV and radio in the UK: what's on our screens this week?

A marble bust of a man

Julius Caesar's hellraising youth: did he really defy tyrants and crucify pirates?.

WW2's Tunisian campaign: the Stalingrad of Africa.

This 4th-century AD mosaic from Terranova near Tuscolo depicts gladiators locked in combat, capturing the drama and choreography of the arena in late Roman Italy. Even as public spectacles waned in some parts of the empire, scenes like this show how gladiatorial fighting remained a potent form of popular entertainment.

Female gladiators shocked the ancient Roman world — but not for the reason you think

Episode 4How William the Conqueror brutally secured rule of England.

How warhorses transformed medieval England.

A woman wearing a black dress and white hood, praying in front of a Bible

Married three times by the age of 15: Margaret Beaufort, the woman who birthed the Tudor Dynasty.